Illusion

by Alexandra Anthony

  Mentally directing her to the bed, I watched her unsteady gait as she moved under my control to awkwardly sit on the bed. I began to lower my hands and I could feel the strength of the shield waver slightly. Unsure how to manipulate it, I jerked my hands up and the power increased. My fingers were trembling under the effort it took to control my new ability.

  "Josie, why was he biting you? And why can't I move?" Georgia whined. She looked as if she could burst into tears at any moment.

  I ignored both of her questions. “Oh, Georgia. Why couldn’t you just knock on the door like a normal person? This could have been avoided.”

  "Don’t you dare put this on me! You need to answer me, Josie. Is he a va-vampire?" Georgia stuttered. She looked at Stefan with apprehension. He folded his arms across his broad chest and leaned against the wall, unashamedly naked. He was watching both of us intently.

  He sent his thoughts to me. "If Georgia does not accept the truth I will have no choice to either kill her or force my will on her, erasing this part of her memory. It will be dangerous to remove so much, vackra."

  "Georgia, I need you to listen and I need you to stay calm," I said softly to her as I crouched down beside her. "Yes, Stefan is a vampire."

  She swallowed hard and a tear ran crookedly down her cheek. "Are you one too?"

  I offered her an uneasy smile. "Only part,” I corrected. "I found out about my parents during our impromptu trip."

  "Why can't I move?"

  I put down my hands and concentrated, focusing on releasing her. I felt my shield retract within me, the tension disappearing. "I was doing it. You can move now."

  She moved one if her hands first, flexing and unflexing them, her eyes narrowing as she gazed at me suspiciously. She then bent her arm and shook her legs, making sure they still worked.

  "How long have you known that he's a vampire?"

  I reached across to smooth her long dark hair away from her frightened face. "Since the first night I met him."

  "I just don’t understand any of this, Josie. Did he do this to you?” Her southern accent became more evident and she jerked her chin towards Stefan. “What the hell does all this mean?"

  I glanced over my shoulder at Stefan. He hadn't moved and was as still as a statue, his thoughts closed to me, giving me the control in what I chose to tell Georgia.

  "No, Stefan didn’t do this to me. I was born this way. When we were in New York I met my father. He’s a vampire.” I took a deep breath and continued. “My mother was human. Basically, I'm a mixture of both. Maybe it would be easier to think of me as a more durable version of the Josie you know."

  "You won't get older? Or die?"

  "We can both die, Georgia. Though we are much more difficult to kill," Stefan replied, his deep voice breaking into the conversation. "Now that you know, you now have three options."

  Georgia crossed her legs and puckered her lips. "And what pray tell are my choices?"

  "Option one is that I kill you. I would prefer not to do that since it would be upsetting to Josephine. Option two is that I can force my will on you and make you forget, which is potentially dangerous. Option three is that you can keep our secret and act like nothing has changed.” Stefan ran his long fingers through his messy hair. “The choice is yours."

  Stefan may be almost a thousand years old but he lacked the art of subtlety in situations like this. I rolled my eyes and grabbed her hand and squeezed it to get her attention. Her blue eyes were wary as she met mine.

  "I'm still Josie, Georgia."

  Georgia glared over my shoulder at the still very naked Stefan. If looks could kill and Stefan wasn’t already dead, he would be now. Her mouth twisted into a sneer and when she looked back at me, her eyes were filled with contempt.

  “Georgia…”

  "No, Josie. It’s my ass on the line and I need information. How old is he? How is he able to be out during the day? How does all of this work?” She was relentless, the questions coming out in rapid fire bursts.

  "I am 33," Stefan answered. "Most of the things you read or hear about our kind are myths. Such as our supposed aversion to sunlight."

  "Huh," Georgia said, considering his words for a moment. "Exactly how old are you in vampire years?"

  Georgia made it sound like Stefan was a dog and vampires counted their ages my multiplying them by seven. She was an intelligent woman, but there were times I questioned her thought process. Of course, I’d been in her shoes recently. I could sympathize with her confusion and curiosity.

  He chuckled as he read my thoughts and answered her. "I am 975 years old. We still count years the same way as humans do."

  “I knew there was something different about you. I just never thought of he was a vampire.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Josie, you could’ve told me what was going on.”

  “I’m sorry, Georgia. I hoped you’d never find this out.” I closed my eyes, focusing on her future. I saw her decision and looked at Stefan and nodded.

  "We can trust her, Stefan. She won't tell anyone."

  "How did you know what I was going to say?" Georgia asked, her voice raising an octave.

  Yet another revelation to dump on her. I could tell she'd almost hit her breaking point so I chose to just make it as simple as possible. "I'm a psychic. I can see the future.”

  Georgia face hardened. "I feel like an idiot. That's why you didn't like to go out until you met him," she snorted loudly. "Does Anna know about this?"

  "The psychic thing, yes." I said. "The vampire stuff, no."

  "You could've told me about being psychic. I suspected something was up with you,” she accused, chewing her lip again. "This is why you're leaving Bali with him! You wanted a clean break. I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer but even I can figure it out now."

  Inhaling a deep breath, I nodded sadly. "That’s part of the reason. Stefan and I aren’t going to age. There are...things that need to be taken care of in New York."

  "So now you're headed off with Hunky." Georgia gestured to Stefan. "Were you just going to disappear?"

  I studied my hands for a moment. That's exactly what we would have done and were going to do eventually. Stefan owned properties all over the world and it would be easy to disappear with his years of practice and wealth to assist us.

  "Probably."

  For the first time since I knew her, Georgia cried. And not just a few tears. She wept until her shoulders shook. I sat beside her and let her cry against me, not able to offer her any other consolation. "You can't just walk away, Josie. You're like my sister."

  "I know. That's what makes this so hard, Georgia.”

  Georgia's relationship with her family was less than ideal. In her own words, they were mostly alcoholic rednecks that lacked any sort of common sense. She'd escaped to New York at the age of 18, putting herself through school and landing a position with a charity before getting the opportunity to start a division operating in Indonesia.

  "You can come and visit us anytime," I assured her. As soon as the words left my lips, I realized how shallow they sounded. She’d cried because I was leaving and I’d offered her a place to stay if she decided to visit. I was no better at this than Stefan.

  She stood and put her hands on her hips. "That's a piss poor thing to say to me. I love you like a sister and you tell me I can visit? I'm going home."

  Stefan blurred to block the doorway, his large frame ominous as he stood looking down at her, his muscular chest bare and long arms folded across his chest. Thankfully at some point during our conversation he'd managed to pull jeans on.

  "You must give me your word that you will keep your silence,” Stefan warned. “If you talk to anyone about this, it means your death.”

  She barked out a sardonic laugh. "I said I wouldn’t tell anyone. Unless you want me to pinkie promise, that’s all you’re gonna get, Stefan. Who would believe me anyway?"

  Stefan stepped aside and let her pass. She almost ran down the hallway in her haste to leave, slamming
the front door so hard it shook the windows.

  Stefan let out a deep sigh and sat down beside of me. He reached for my hand, turning it over and tracing patterns on my palm with his fingers. He said nothing, keeping his thoughts protected.

  "I should have changed the locks," I mused, more to myself than to him.

  "You never cease to amaze me," he murmured. He brought my hand up to his mouth and brushed his lips over my fingers. "Look at it this way, vackra. She knows our secret. You can keep her in your life."

  "Yeah, she's thrilled with me. She wants to kick my ass."

  "Time will pass and her anger will fade," he replied. “I am sorry. I wish I could save you from this part. This is where you lose every human friend you have or choose if it is safe to reveal your secret.”

  He pulled me back on the bed until we were propped on the pillows. His fingers absently rubbed through the fabric of my shirt, up and down my back. I rested my face against his chest, running my hands over his muscles and through the fine hair that covered it.

  "I get to keep you. It seems like a fair trade."

  "Now who is the smooth talker?" He pinched my side. "You have a new gift. We must practice to see how it works."

  "I don’t know how it happened. I was scared she was going to run off and I had to stop her. I just didn’t expect that I’d actually be able to do it without moving." I looked up at him, pressing my chin on his chest. “This must be another change.”

  "I would assume it is. Try it on me."

  "What?" I looked at him with wide eyes. “Stefan, I don’t think I can do it again.”

  "Try it on me," he repeated. "Keep me in place."

  He leaped from the bed. His face became predatory, his fangs clicking into place. “Stop me.”

  Giggling, I sat up on my knees, my hands on my legs. "Stefan, I don't know how I did it earlier. You’re not scaring me with your fangs, Romeo. They turn me on.”

  He stood up straight and retracted his fangs. "Let us try something different. Close your eyes."

  Sighing heavily, I obediently closed my eyes, waiting for what he was going to do next.

  "Your father has killed me. Kian is coming for you," his voice was barely audible. A mixture of grief and anger filled me at the thought of his death at Kian’s hands. "Pretend that I am him. You must stop me."

  Without thinking, my hands flew up as I sensed him approaching me. I pushed my emotions outward, focusing on keeping him away from me. I felt the shield push out, wrapping around Stefan, securing itself around him like a vice.

  Through barely opened eyes, I watched in amazement as Stefan struggled against my hold on him. He was trapped in mid-stride, incapable of moving. His mind was wide open to me while under my shield. He was furious, his mind filled with rage at his own vulnerability, incensed at his helplessness.

  "It worked!" I exclaimed excitedly. “You can’t move at all?”

  "Not at all." He pushed against me, unable to free himself. "Release me."

  "I don't know if I should. You're a scary vampire." I teased. “Did you ever think I’d be able to hold you back? Maybe I should call Lukas. I could use FaceTime and he could see this live.”

  His eyes darkened and the corner of his mouth twitched. "Vackra..."

  "Fine." I lowered my hands and he stumbled forward as my shield retracted.

  He darted to my side and had my back against the bed, hovering over me. He kissed me, his mouth hard against mine. "Tell no one of this ability, not even Lukas. What you just did can protect you if I cannot."

  He was always pragmatic, thinking three steps beyond everyone else, planning and scheming. Stefan would protect me with his life. Knowing that I could stand beside him with my own ability made me feel like the scales were even.

  "You should not be worried about such things." Stefan rolled to my side, staring into my eyes. “I never wished for things to be so difficult. It is my only regret.”

  “Stop.” I placed my palm against his face. “It doesn’t matter, Stefan. With or without you, Kian would have found me.”

  “Perhaps.” Stefan replied quietly. “So you have no reservations, Josephine?”

  “Not a single one.” I let my fingers caress the curve of his cheek. "It's worth it, you know?”

  "Hmm?"

  "To be with you forever. It's worth all of the worries and fears. I have you."

  I glanced up at him, meeting his gaze. His blue eyes were soft, filled with love and devotion. His hand rested against my chest, his fingers stroking the pendant around my neck.

  “Att ha din kärlek är en välsignelse. Du är min älskare, min vän och min kära kompis. Jag älskar dig."

  "I've only been using the CD’s for a few days, sweetheart. I understood that you love me. What else did you say?"

  "I said to have your love is a blessing. You are my lover, my friend and my cherished mate.” He lowered his mouth gently to mine. “I love you.”

  "Jag älskar dig, min man." The words sounded strange and felt peculiar on my tongue. It was worth the discomfort to watch his eyes sparkle as he heard me speak in his native language.

  "Until the stars stop shining?" He used my words from a few days ago.

  "And then some."

  "You need to sleep. You need to wrap up your affairs tomorrow."

  "Yeah, yeah." I snuggled against him.

  He nuzzled his nose against my hair, breathing in my scent. He groaned softly in response, his hands rubbing over my back and ass possessively. I pulled back, letting my eyes travel over his face. Unable to resist his lips, I pressed a kiss to the top and then the bottom before devouring his mouth, the taste of him addictive and sweet.

  The pads of his fingers cupped the back of my neck as he answered my kiss. His mouth became more insistent, our legs tangling together as we moved closer to each other, languidly kissing each other with wet, open mouthed caresses. When he lifted his mouth from mine, his lips went to my neck, scattering kisses and tiny bites across my skin. His hand slipped between us and he gently stroked my clit with his thumb while his fingers filled me.

  "You begged me to come for you earlier. I want you to come all over my hand," he said huskily against my neck.

  His fingers and thumb stroked and thrust inside of me, teasing and insistent. His blue eyes stared intently at me, watching every expression that crossed my face. When they curled up and plunged harder I gave in, falling apart over his hand, sighing breathlessly when I felt him release against my stomach.

  Stefan captured my mouth in another kiss. "That was beautiful, watching you come for me."

  He was a blur as he moved from the bed to the bathroom. He returned with a towel, quickly cleaning up the mess we'd made.

  He sank back into the bed and pulled me back on his arms. My eyes were heavy and for the moment, the confrontation with Georgia was in the back of my thoughts.

  His arms around me were the last thing I remembered until drifting off into sleep.

  * * *

  Pulling in front of Anna’s real estate office, I put the car into park and gripped the steering wheel for a moment. The day had been filled with errands, putting in a forwarding address request in to the tiny postal office in Canggu, transferring money from accounts here in Indonesia to the much bigger joint bank account I now shared with Stefan in the US. I’d reached my final and most difficult errand of the day: not only was I putting my villa on the market, I was also going to tell Anna that I was leaving. I’d scanned her future and knew the outcome would be fine, but she was going to ask questions. Questions could be dangerous…I would need to stay on guard and not reveal too much to her.

  Unable to put off the inevitable chore, I shoved open the door to my jeep and headed for her office. I was greeted with a chiming bell and Anna’s head popped up with her ‘I’m all about selling you a property’ business smile. When she saw it was me, the smile changed to her more snarky grin. She pushed herself away from her desk to meet me.

  “Josie Anderson decides to grace me
with her presence!” Anna’s eyes scanned over me, lingering over my necklace before they went to her watch. “You have perfect timing. Let’s go to lunch.”

  Anna crossed back to her desk and grabbed her purse from one of the drawers. She rejoined me, motioning for me to follow her outside. We walked in the bright sunlight for a few moments before she spoke.

  “So, you’re back. Is this a good thing?” Anna asked curiously. “Since you’re not in tears, I’m assuming you and Stefan are together.

  “It depends on what you consider a good thing. I’ve already had one big negative reaction, so I’m anxious to see what yours will be.”

  We walked up to one of the street vendors and ordered satay before heading in silence to a bench under a tree. Anna sat first and pointed to the seat for me to join her.

  “Yeah, I’m sure you didn’t use your psychic ability to know the outcome of our little chat. I’m going to take a wild guess. You’re moving,” Anna said sarcastically, taking a bite of her chicken. She chewed for a moment and swallowed, her sharp brown eyes never leaving mine. “Why is it you look like you spent all your time in New York at a spa? Either New York was really, really good to you or Stefan has a magic dick.”

  I choked on my bite at her comment. Anna laughed and slapped me on the back a few times until I was finally able to breathe normally.

  “Anna!” I exclaimed, feeling the telltale blush spread over my face.

  “From that response I’m going to go with the magic dick. By looking at him, I’d say it could cure just about any problem you could have,” Anna replied, tucking her brown curls behind her ear. She finished her chicken and tossed the skewer in the trash, turning her attention back to me. “I know you didn’t come to see me for shits and giggles. What’s up?”

  Taking a deep sigh, I looked at my shoe for a moment before I started talking. “I need you to put my villa on the market.”

  “Oh?” Anna answered. “Oh. This is a permanent move. You aren’t coming back?”

  Shrugging, I smoothed my khaki shorts and picked at the cuticle on my thumb. “We may come back to visit. I don’t think Lukas is putting his house on the market so we could always stay there.”